Kinston boys, girls handle first round opponents

Northwest Halifax threw everything it had at Kinston, from a speedy guard who scored almost at will to different defenses to a deliberate coach who did what he could from the sideline to slow down the game.

Northwest Halifax threw everything it had at Kinston, from a speedy guard who scored almost at will to different defenses to a deliberate coach who did what he could from the sideline to slow down the game.

In the end, none of it worked.

Denzel Keyes had 28 points as Kinston woke up late and fought off a pesky Northwest Halifax squad 86-60 in the first round of the NCHSAA state 2A playoffs at Viking Gym on Monday.

Top-seeded Kinston (23-2) will host No. 8 Pittsboro Northwood, which knocked off Warren County 72-56 on Monday, in a second round game at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Keyes’ 28 points were one more than Northwest Halifax senior Gerald Crews’ 27, yet it was Keyes’ dunk following a turnover with 5:58 to play in the third quarter that started the game-deciding run.

“I never sensed any panic. Again, I thought we just came out lethargic. Our mental edge just was not there (and) that’s got to get corrected,” first-year Kinston coach Perry Tyndall said.

“I don’t think we were as focused as we needed to be but that was very evident. … We forced some turnovers, got some separation, and I thought we did a good job late of handling the zone and just doing the things that we are capable of doing.”

With Northwest Halifax, which shares the Vikings nickname with Kinston, hanging around and only down by seven, Jeremy Taylor’s steal turned into a transition dunk by Keyes on the other end to give Kinston a 42-33 lead at the 5:58 mark of the third quarter.

The dunk sparked a 9-0 run before Crews’ 3-pointer ended it a little over 2 minutes later. But Kinston was just getting started.

It hit its first nine shots of the fourth quarter and clamped down defensively, even with Northwest Halifax (13-10) playing the stall tactic to keep Kinston from running its offense.

“We settled in and started working that thing inside and started making some extra passes,” Tyndall said.

“We also did a better job of getting out in transition in the second half.”

Brandon Ingram had 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists and Josh Dawson added 10 points and nine assists for Kinston, which won for the 14th straight game overall and improved to 32-2 in the state playoffs since its first of seven straight conference titles in 2007.

Kinston led 40-31 at the break and a runner by Crews made it 40-33 early in the third quarter before it went on its run.

Northwest Halifax — a 16-seed that didn’t play like it — managed to get it to 10 at 55-45 late in the period before another big run put it out of reach.

Page 2 of 2 - “We’ve got to turn around and be ready to play,” Tyndall said of Wednesday’s game. “You’ve got one day and then you’ve got another game.”

KINSTON 66, FRANKLINTON 18

It took a quarter to get Kinston’s girls going, and once they did they didn’t stop.

Monique Lofton scored 21 points and Brittany Drumgoole added nine points and 10 assists as the Vikings handled the young Rams with ease.

Third-seeded Kinston, which will host No. 6 North Johnston, a 46-30 winner over North Pitt, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in a second round game, hit just 4 of 14 field goal attempts in the first quarter but used its defense to force 11 first quarter turnovers and 27 for the game.

The Vikings (22-4) led 10-0 before the Rams (11-15) hit their first field goal with 2:48 left in the first quarter.

Freshman transfer Jada Faison added 13 points for Kinston.

As a team Kinston had 13 steals, four by Anshonee Addison, and outrebounded Franklinton, which started two freshmen, 38-27.

Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.